The Acquistions Table: Chronicles of New England

Two copies of the earlier Chapter 999 have been traced (one of which was already at AAS), but this appears to be the only copy of Chapter 1000. When it appeared at auction this fall, we had to have it. A satire written in Biblical style, Chapter 1000 of the Chronicles of New England begins: “Now it came to pass, when the men of the Boat were rejoicing and making merry in their hearts…” Both chapters describe the competition between the Hartford-based shipping merchants who plied their trade along the Connecticut River, and a rival group of New Haven investors who bypassed them with a canal to Massachusetts. The pamphlets allude to the icebound steamer Barnet, placing the date of composition in 1826.